This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The organic synthesis core is designed to provide access to novel compounds not available through commercial sources. The well-trained technical staff as well as the core director will consult with investigators to understand the particular need and will design and synthesize the appropriate molecules. The facility staff will undertake, for example, the synthesis and characterization of a novel probe, a photoactive analog, a better soluble version of a compound than one now in use, a fluorescent analog that would replace a radiolabeled compound that is now in use, a modified natural product that might covalently bind a receptor, an unnatural peptide that would have better stability than its wild-type counterpart, a polymer-bound compound needed for a particular purification, etc. The core is equipped with appropriate equipment to prepare and characterize organic compounds with molecular weights of 2 kDa or less and has access to appropriate chromatographic and analytical techniques, including NMR and mass spectrometry, that will be used to confirm structural assignments.